Qingchen tried pushing the stone door, and just as he applied force, he suddenly heard a soft "click"!
It wasn't the sound of the door opening, but rather the sound coming from within the stone wall beside it!
Qingchen's heart tightened, instantly recalling the dying words of the wandering swordsman: "The stone chamber door is locked. Before pushing, feel for the indentation on the left side of the door, press it three times, and then push."
He quickly released his grip and reached for the left side of the stone door with his left hand, indeed finding an indentation about the size of a finger joint.
He followed the swordsman's instructions, pressing firmly three times with his fingertip. Each press produced a soft "click," like the sound of a mechanism engaging.
After the third press, Qingchen pushed the stone door again, and it was indeed much easier.
The heavy stone door slowly opened, and he peered inside. The stone chamber wasn't large, only about ten feet square, with several ever-burning lamps embedded in the stone walls, illuminating the interior brightly.
The stone chamber wasn't spacious. A futon sat quietly in the center, and in front of it was a dark wooden shelf.
Neatly arranged on the shelf were several items:
a dusty gray cloth bag, a palm-sized dark stone, a crystal-clear jade bottle, a palm-sized piece of emerald green jade, and two thread-bound books.
The writing on the covers was somewhat blurred; only upon closer inspection could one make out that they were *The Record of Mysterious Mysteries* and *The Longevity Inner Landscape Technique*.
Qing Chen tiptoed inside, first checking the four corners of the chamber to confirm there were no hidden arrows or traps before letting out a sigh of relief.
He surveyed the chamber, deciding to take everything with him, just in case.
Of course, Qing Chen didn't overlook the futon in the center of the chamber, taking it with him as well.
During the packing process, Qing Chen even considered taking the bookshelf and the floor tiles of the secret chamber as well.
But unfortunately, he couldn't carry them all.
Moreover, after careful observation and tentative sabotage,
Qingchen discovered that the bookshelves and floor tiles were indeed ordinary objects, without any special writing or patterns.
So he abandoned the idea.
Without wasting time, he made sure he hadn't left anything behind, then turned and headed towards the hidden door.
The two bandits at the door remained in their original positions.
He quietly pushed open the door, looked left and right, and seeing no one was paying attention, quickly walked down the stone steps, slipping back to the tunnel entrance.
Once inside the tunnel, Qingchen dared to stop and catch his breath.
He found a dry corner to sit down, first taking out the *Xuanyou Jianwenlu* (Record of Mysterious Encounters), lighting a tinderbox, and beginning to read.
As he read, Qingchen's eyes widened!
It turned out that the secret of Beiman Mountain was intricately connected to the once-glorious Qin Dynasty of a hundred years ago.
This book was originally one of the treasured classics in the dynasty's treasury.
The city of Jin in the Jing Kingdom, where Qingchen resides, is actually located on an isolated island called 'Immortal-Slaying Island'.
This island is situated in the Moon Sea region of the Gouwu Sea's three domains (Sun, Moon, and Star), on the northern edge of the Canglang Islands.
The book states that the islands of the Gouwu Sea are classified according to their spiritual veins. First-level islands possess first-level spiritual veins, suitable for Qi Refining stage cultivators, and have small towns with tens of thousands of inhabitants;
Second-level islands possess second-level spiritual veins, spanning hundreds of miles, suitable for Foundation Establishment stage cultivators, and have a population exceeding one million;
Third-level islands are even larger, suitable for Golden Core stage cultivators;
Fourth-level islands are comparable to continents, suitable for Nascent Soul stage cultivators, and are sacred grounds for cultivators.
But his own Immortal-Slaying Island...
The spiritual energy was pitifully scarce. The nearest island was a hundred thousand miles away, fraught with storms and sea monsters, making navigation impossible.
Only every thirty years would the Ningxuan Sect of the Canglang Islands send a spirit ship to retrieve those with spiritual roots, issuing tokens that allowed only those with such tokens to board.
But those people never returned.
Qingchen's heart pounded even faster upon reading this.
He quickly pulled out the dark stone.
The book described it as a spirit-testing stone, capable of detecting a person's spiritual roots.
Spiritual roots were categorized into the five elements: metal, wood, water, fire, and earth, as well as variant spiritual roots like wind and thunder.
Based on quality, they were classified as: miscellaneous, low, medium, high, earth, and heavenly spiritual roots.
Following the instructions in the book, he placed his right hand on the spirit-testing stone and concentrated.
After a while, the spirit-testing stone suddenly emitted a faint light.
The light was divided into five colors: red, yellow, blue, green, and black. Each color wasn't particularly bright, but it was very clear, its intensity falling within the 'medium' range.
Qingchen's heart leaped into his throat—a mid-grade Five Elements Spiritual Root!
He was both happy and somewhat disappointed: happy that he had a spiritual root, meaning he could cultivate immortality—people with spiritual roots were one in a thousand!
Disappointed that a mid-grade Five Elements Spiritual Root wasn't exceptionally good; if luck wasn't on his side, even Foundation Establishment would be difficult.
But then he thought again, it was better than having no spiritual root at all, and better than miscellaneous or low-grade spiritual roots, which offered little hope of Foundation Establishment.
He fantasized about how wonderful it would be to possess a Heavenly Spiritual Root or an Earthly Spiritual Root.
Then, he could hope to reach the cultivation level of a Nascent Soul Ancestor.
The book also stated that cultivation realms were divided into Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, and Nascent Soul.
As for higher realms, the book didn't record them.
Perhaps only those who truly reach that level can glimpse its essence.
Once a cultivator breaks through the Qi Refining stage, their lifespan can increase to a hundred years.
And when their Qi Refining cultivation reaches the seventh level, the late stage of Qi Refining, their lifespan can be extended to one hundred and twenty years.
However, the path to Foundation Establishment is fraught with difficulties and dangers.
Only by breaking through before the age of sixty can one have a greater hope of embarking on the path of Foundation Establishment.
The Foundation Establishment stage is crucial on the path of cultivation.
The book says, "One hundred days to establish the Foundation, transcending the mortal realm."
In the early stage of Foundation Establishment, a cultivator's lifespan can reach two hundred years;
In the middle stage, lifespan increases to two hundred and twenty years;
And in the late stage, one can possess a lifespan as high as two hundred and fifty years!
This is undoubtedly an unattainable height for ordinary mortals.
It should be known that mortals face numerous calamities and hardships in their lives; living past fifty is already considered a rare and long life.
As for the mysteries of the Core Formation and Nascent Soul realms, the *Xuanyou Jianwenlu* (Records of Mysterious Abyss) doesn't record them in detail.
This inevitably arouses longing and curiosity.
"It was all worth it."
He stood up and brushed the dust off his clothes.
Faint shouts of battle drifted from outside the tunnel; the vanguard was still attacking the mountain, but none of that mattered to him anymore.
His mind was now filled with nothing but cultivating immortality, leaving Juexian Island, and seeing the outside world.